I admire the artistic vision and visual execution of many directors such as Stanley Kubrick, The Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson, Sam Mendes, Quentin Tarantino, Terry Gilliam and Ridley Scott. However, David Lynch is my all-time favorite director because of his story-telling through visual style. In the ekphrastic relationship between dialogue and imagery, Lynch allows the visual components of his film to be the primary vehicle for plot. His sets and compositions always hum with a psychological and mysterious vibe.
His early film, Eraserhead, has a grainy black and white aesthetic that I cannot get enough of! With little dialogue, the plot is contingent on visual information.
The surroundings are stripped down and all objects in the shot are intentional. Despite the strangeness of the film there is beauty and emotion in the imagery which is achieved through Lynch’s simple yet sophisticated use of balance in his compositions.
In the show Twin Peaks, Lynch tackles color theory. His sets are still simplistic but this time the color adds a new level of intensity and meaning.
His balanced compositions are consistent but the contrast of warm and cool colors amplify the emotion. His color choices are never arbitrary but carefully selected to establish mood, create contrast, or highlight important information. There is also a very strong and dynamic light source in all of these stills.
In Blue Velvet, Lynch further masters his use of minimalistic sets, composition, and color palette.
I love that in the second image Lynch uses the complimentary colors of yellow and purple and makes them fit so naturally into the setting. The imagery in his films is so loaded with visual information and artistic detail but it never feels forced or posed. Instead, it has a sense of reality which adds to the eery environment. I also enjoy how Lynch shows us imagery that is never resolved. He never reveals why the man in the yellow jacket is standing in the apartment lifeless or why the marble statue lurks in the corner of the Black Lodge. The mystery of his images makes me think of them years after I have seen the movie.
Sound & Sweet 